Social Icons

27 September 2010

Glow Spotlight: Opulent Bath and Body

Welcome to another edition of Glow Spotlight! This is where we feature companies that make products that we adore and people that inspire us to keep on keeping on. If you know someone or you feel like you've got that glow yourself feel free to email us.

Can you believe its Fall already? Summer just flew by this year! As we all know when the weather changes so does our skin but thanks to Opulent Bath and Body company your transition can become easier. I was able to snag an interview with Jinger Marrero just to see what they're all about. Keep reading to be inspired.

Jinger

1. I love that you say "We combine old age ingenuity with new age creativity". How did the name and concept of Opulent Spirit come about?

The birth of Opulent Spirit is comprised of different events that happened over four year's time. The first event was in 2005 when I went into the hospital for major surgery. After my surgery, which seemed to work out well in the beginning, I started to hemorrhage and blood was crushing my lungs causing breathing distress. I was "on my way out" as they say. A second surgery saved my life. During this time my mother was in Atlanta awaiting word from New York where I was hospitalized. When she heard the news that I was in distress, she and my father began to pray. It had already been arranged that she would be coming up to New York the next day. When I saw her, she told me that as she was praying, the words "opulent spirit" came to her.

Well, needless to say that I survived and although not able to go back to work for almost 4 1/2 months, I was fine. Almost a year later, my mother went through illness and also had to have major surgery. She, as well almost didn't make it. When she came out of surgery, my mom realized how close she was to not being here and the doctors still wanted to operate to remove more of bacteria that infected her liver. In discussing this with the doctor, my mother told him that "divine intervention" was the only thing that was going to heal her. As mom confirmed this, she started to become well, and realized how Opulent, omnipotent, omnipresent, and all-encompassing, Spirit is. At the time, she didn't know why she kept using the term "Opulent Spirit" however, it was revealed at the beginning of 2009, when my grandmother Inez Hickerson Hudson, had a fire in her home at the age of 99.

After her hands were burned, and she had severe smoke inhalation, as well as being a smoker for many decades, all the doctors said she had a zero percent chance of survival. During the time of my grandmother's issue, I lost my job after working there for nine years. Looking for another job was a part of my daily agenda; however, I knew that there was something better than just another job out there for me. My mother was still talking about Opulent Spirit and we were both trying to figure out what we were going to do with the name. At one point, we were discussing my great, great grandmother Fancy Hance and how Fancy used to make soap. That's when we decided that we would carry on Fancy's legacy and make optimal quality skin care products. In the beginning, it was not easy. Finding quality products took time and patience. Many people said that "in this economy, it's a bad idea to start a business". However, we looked at the determination and perseverance of my grandmother, Inez.

She was quickly approaching her 100th birthday even though "professionals" said that there was no chance of her leaving the hospital alive. However, three months after her accident, my grandmother walked out of the hospital, determined to celebrate her 100th birthday which she did. We always knew how strong and determined she was. When she wanted something, she was unrelenting and this is why she was able to survive her ordeal. Although, she passed away a week to the day of her centennial, her determination showed us exactly what opulent spirit is. Watching her survival skills during those six months before she passed showed us how much opulent spirit is involved in everything that we do. Even though my mother and I have endured quite a bit, opulent spirit has blessed us with the legacy of our ancestors and knowledge of what they stood for. Opulent Spirit Bath Essentials is dedicated to the legacy of women and men that were able to survive and maintain their dignity and self respect no matter what the cost. We believe the experience of life is through Opulent Spirit and it is within all of us to tap into that energy.

2. Who does the opulent team consist of?

We are a family-owned business. Peni Shellman (mother) is President and CEO, Jinger Marrero (daughter) is Vice President and CFO, Al Shellman (father) is COO. The extended family is Nicole Hudson (cousin), Althea Hudson (aunt), Ricky Marrero (husband), and Mary Gilley ("family" - a friend that is close as family). These people are intricate in supporting and assisting us where ever it is necessary.

3. All of your products are ALL organic and free of any chemicals. What made you go this route?

Because our great, great grandmother Fancy Hance, and great grandmother Anna Hickerson only used and made organic material, we feel if it worked well for them it will work well for us. Knowledgeable people of our generation will choose natural products over processed products for many reasons, including the fact that it is healthy for your skin.

4. Reading your website I noticed that you have an event called "Ladies Night Out". Can you share with us what it is and what its all about?

Ladies Night Out is inclusive of different events that we do throughout the year. This includes events that we do during the day such as the newest event; "The Egyptian Spa Experience". Taking place from 1pm to 6pm on October 23, for $150 per person they will receive a massage, body wrap, facial, and foot massage. Each client will receive a gift packet with the products that will be used during the sessions.

5. What are the best products for dry skin and/or skin issues?

For Dry Skin: Everyone seems to love our Mango Melon body butter.
For skin issues: That depends on the issue. We do not diagnose issues and we always suggest seeing a doctor or dermatologist first. However, for minor issues we suggest our Foaming Body Bath Butter. This can be specially made with ingredients such Emu oil which is good for helping minor cases of eczema, psoriasis, and acne.

For people who shave (both men and women): We recommend Cool Down aftershave cream. This is a great product to use as a shaving cream or an aftershave to cool down the skin. Many men specifically have said that it eased their shaving bumps considerably to almost none.
For exfoliating dry, dead skin cells: Our Sweet Brown Sugar Scrub is all the rage for people who like to exfoliate. The granules of the sugar are so fine that this scrub is the only scrub in our collection that can be used on the face as well as the body. Like anything else, use it sparingly and follow the directions.
All of our other products also help in achieving soft, radiant skin.

6. What is the shelf life of your products?

Our shelf life varies. The majority of the butters will last from eight months to a year. There are expiration dates on the jars. The sugar and/or salt scrubs last approximately three to five months. The body washes and lotions last approximately two years.

7. Who is the Opulent woman?

Every woman who wants to experience life and abundance, along with soft, beautiful, radiant skin.

8. What advice can you give to women that may want to start a business but may be scared to take that step?

Just do it. Feel the fear and go for it anyway. Know that divine presence knows your desires and places people, and things in your path so that you will succeed. Don't listen to those vampires (some of them disguise themselves as "friends") that will do their utmost to take away your power. Stop listening to the negativity in the news. Right now is the best time for entrepreneurs. Go with the flow and do what gives you peace.

9. What new and exciting things do you have coming up in 2011?

Look for Bubbling Brown Sugar. This is a scrub and bubble bath in one. There are other products in the works and we will keep you posted.

10. What sets you apart from other bath and body companies?

We are family-owned. We make all of our products by hand. We use our own products for at least a year before we put them on the market. The people that work with us have to use the products also before selling them. We believe in building a relationship with our clients. They are able to speak with us personally in order to discuss their needs. We are not a "cookie cutter" company. Each person is different and we treat them as individuals not as statistics. We love our clients and our community. Although this is a computer oriented society, we believe that human contact is essential for the survival of the world. In the near future we will be providing jobs and training to people instead of having machines do the work. Although we have an answering machine, during business hours the phones are answered by a human voice not a machine. We want to perpetuate human intelligence rather than artificial intelligence.

This was a very inspiring interview. Not to mention that the products are great. Check back another time for a full review. You can check out the wonderful products here.